Box lock or fastener.



JAMES F. BEEHLER. 0F ST. LOUIS. MISSOURI.

BOX LOCK OR FASTENER.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2s, 1914.

Application filed August 8, 1913. Serial No. 783,772.

To all v'Lr/0m it may concern Be it known that I, Jxnrns F. BEEHLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis. Missouri. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Box Locks or l `asteners. of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being' had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to an improved lock or fastener, particularly intended for use on beer boxes. egg cases, shipping crates, and the like, the principal object of my invention being to provide a comparatively simple, inexpensive lock or latch which can be readily released to open the box lid or cover and which lock or latch is adapted to effectually hold the lid or cover in closed position.

.-1 further object of my invention is to construct a box lock or fastener from sheet metal punched and bent to proper shape by suitable dies, and which construction enables me to produce the locks or fasteners at comparatively little cost.

To the above purposes my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a box which is equipped with a lock or fastener of my improved construction. Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of a portion of a box provided with my improved fastener. F ig. 3 is a vertical section taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken approximately on the line eL-sl. of Fig. 3.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings, 1 designates the front wall of a box, and 2 the lid thereof, which lid is provided near its front edge with an opening 3. Fixed in any suitable manner to the lid and on top thereof, over the opening 3, is a metal plate s, and formed integral .with the front edge thereof is a vertically disposed web 5, the upper edge of which is bent outwardly into a horizontal plane to form a lip 6. Formed in the central portion of the web 5 is an opening 7, which is adapted to receive a sealing device such as a section of wire or ductile sheet metal.

Formed in the central portion of the plate et and communicating with the opening 3 in the lid is an opening 8, and projecting downwardl-y into the front portion of the opening 3 from the plate l at the forward end of said opening- S is an inclined lip 9 which serves as a Astriking plate for the hook forming a part of my improved lock or latch.

Fixed in any suitable manner to the inner face of the wall 1 a short distance below the upper edge. thereof, is a plate 10 the central portion of which is pressed or stamped outwardly seas to form a narrow vertically disposed housing comprising parallel walls 11, said housing extending the entire height of the plate 10.

The hook portion of my improved device compri-Jes a flat elongated plate 12 provided on its upper end with a forwardly projecting hook 13. and the lower portion of this plate occupies the space in the housing between the parallel valls 11. The lower end of the plate 12 is hinged or pivotally mounted upon a pin 14C which passes through the lower portions of the walls 11. Formed in the lower rear portion of the plate 12 is a vertically extending notch 15, and positioned therein is a U-shaped spring 16 which normally holds the late-hing member or hook in latched po- `sition. The upper end of the plate 12 is provided with an aperture 17 .which receives the sealing device which passes through the opening i'. This sealing device is shown by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2.

lVhen my improved device is in latched position the hook 13 on the upper end of the plate 12 projects through the opening 8 and engages on top of the plate et immediately in front of said opening, thus holding the lid or cover of the box closed. To open the lock or latch and raise the lid, the operator places the first finger immediately against the web 5 beneath the lip 6, and then moves the thumb over said lip to engage the upper end of the hook and move the same rearwardly to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, thereby moving the hook 13 away from that portion of the plate 4 in front of the opening S and thus permit-ting the lid or cover to be elevated. When the lid or cover swings downward into closed. position. the upper end of the plate 12 strikes against the inclined lip 9, thereby forcing' the upper end of said plate rearwardly a sufficient distance to pass through the opening 8, after which the pressure of the spring 16 swings the hook into latched position, as shown by solid lines in Fig. 3.

box lock or fastener of my improved construction is eon'iparat-irely simple, coinprises a minimum number of parts, can loe eheaplv nianuli'actured, andA forms an e'feient latch or look for all Yt'orms of boxes and like receptacles.

lt `will he readil)v understood that minor changes in the size. torni, and construction ot' the various parts of nnv iinl'irored box lool; or Jfastener may he inade and substituted Ytor those herein shown and described without departing Atroni the spirit of n'iy inrention, the scope of which is setforth in. the appended claims.

'1. )l hosv fastener comprising a plate adapiefl to he applied lo the lid ot' the box, which plate is provided with an opening', a dominar(ll;\Y pendiirgl iin-lined lip at the forward end ol? said opening, an upwardly projecting wel) on the front edge of said plate, the upper edge oit which web is bent into a horizontal plane to t'orln an outwardly prolrooting lip. a plate adapted to he fixed to the Looe/W2 front wall of the loox, and a` spring pressed hook, pirotalb7 connected to last said nientioned plate, the upper end of vwhich hook is adapted to pass through the opening in the first mentioned plate.

A box fastener comprising` a platel adapted to be applied to the lid of the box, which plate 'is provided with an opening, a web on the 'front edge ot' said plate, a horizontalhr disposed lip on the top of said web`r a plate adapted to he lixed to the Wall of the hex, and a :slfirinp` pressed hook pivotally mounted on said last mentioned plate, the upper end of which hook is adapted to pass through the opening in the lirst mentioned plate.

ln testinioirr \\'hereot` I' hereunto atlix my signature in the presence ot' two witnesses. this Ql-h day ol July. 1913.

@oplei of time patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. "Washington, 10. C. 

